Systems and Methods for Playing Texas Hold&#39;em

ABSTRACT

The systems and methods of the present disclosure to provide insights, guidelines and training, for playing Texas Hold&#39;em for pleasure or in tournaments. The systems and methods of the present disclosure enable the player to recognize potential common mistakes, avoid repeating the common mistakes, and, by following specific guidelines, maximize the percentages that will enable them to dramatically improve their results when playing Texas Hold&#39;em.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims the benefitfrom provisional application Ser. No. 61/180,452 filed May 22, 2009,which is hereby incorporated by reference to the extent not inconsistentwith the present disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Most people who play cards are either self-taught, learn from a familymember, friend, or from TV. They learned the rules of play, but hadlimited instruction in strategy. In Texas Hold'em, you can play a handperfectly, and still lose. Further, you can misplay a hand and be savedby a river card.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A first aspect of the present disclosure is a method for playing TexasHold'em comprising: dealing the hole cards to each player; and if aplayers hole cards are equal to or better than a 10/J, a pair of eights,8/9 suited, an A/8 or better, the player can bid up to three times thebig blind in order to see the flop.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is to a method for playingTexas Hold'em comprising: dealing the hole cards to each player; if aplayers hole cards are equal to or better than a 10/J, a pair of eights,8/9 suited, an A/8 or better; the player can bid up to three times thebig blind in order to see the flop; if a player's hole cards do not meetthe criteria above, then the player may be able to ‘check’ to see theflop; if another player should bet, then the player having hole cardsthat do not meet the criteria above, folds; if all players ‘check’ tosee the flop, then the player having hole cards that do not meet theabove criteria ‘checks’ to see the turn; if another player bets, thenthe player having the hole cards that do not meet the above criteriafolds; if all players ‘check’ to see the turn, then the player withcards that do not meet the above criteria ‘checks’ to see the River; ifany of the players make a bet, then the player having cards that do notmeet the above criteria folds; if the player has cards that do meet thebetting criteria, they then can bet up to three times the big blind tosee the flop and if the bet goes beyond three times the big blind and ifthe players hole cards are very good (trips, straight, flush or better),then the player meeting the above criteria can bet when warranted up togoing “all in”; if the betting does not go beyond the three times thebig blind, then the player bets that hand according to the cards at theflop and there after; and, if the hole cards are not very good, then theplayer folds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The features of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. Thedisclosure itself, however, will be best understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the system and methods according tothe present disclosure.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of possible several of a plurality ofpossible strategic concepts that might be displayed on the aces of thedeck according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the King-10 of spades.

FIG. 2C is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the 9-6 of spades.

FIG. 20 is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might displayed on the 5-2 of spades.

FIG. 2E is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the King-10 of hearts.

FIG. 2F is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the 9-6 of hearts.

FIG. 2G is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the 5-2 of hearts.

FIG. 2H is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the King-10 of diamonds.

FIG. 2I is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the 9-6 of diamonds.

FIG. 2J is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the 5-2 of diamonds.

FIG. 2K is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the King-10 of clubs.

FIG. 2L is an illustration of several of the plurality of possiblestrategic concepts that might be displayed on the 9-6 of clubs.

FIG. 2M is an illustration of several of the plurality of possible toteaching concepts that might be displayed on the 5-2 of clubs.

FIG. 3A-H are illustrations of the various fronts and backs of the 4 HowTo cards.

FIG. 4A-B are illustrations of how even the worst poker hand may beconverted into a good hand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The systems and methods of the present disclosure offer knowledge andinsights, as guidelines and training for playing Texas Hold'em. Thesesystems and methods of the present disclosure, enable the player torecognize mistakes, avoid repeating them and by following four specificguidelines; 1) Avoidable Mistakes, 2) Betting, 3) Pattern of play (luckand intuition) and 4) Maximizing Opportunities to achieve good resultswith their playing of Texas Hold'em.

Before you begin playing, make sure you have the time to play and do notfeel rushed. Have a preset limit as to how much chips/money you will berisking. Always bear in mind that every dollar you lose in the beginningmay cost you two dollars later on. How this possible: specifically, thedollar that you lost is not available to bet, (net loss one dollar); thesecond dollar is the dollar you would have won if you had it to play(net loss two dollars total for every dollar lost early in play).

Putting it in Play

Utilizing the systems and methods of the present disclosure, thetournament Texas Hold'em player has one mission and one mission only:Make it To The Final Table. In order to maximize your chances of makingit to the final table, the first thing you need to know is that you willnot be playing most of the hands. In fact, in the early rounds, you mayonly see one good hand per hour, or you may see five or six good handsin a row. In order for the systems and methods of the present disclosureto be effective, you must have patience and follow the bettingguidelines.

In tournament play, everyone starts out with the same number ofchips/amount of money, and when a player loses all of his or herchips/money they are out of the tournament. The systems and methods ofthe present disclosure provide guidelines for maximizing the probabilitythat a player will survive elimination from the tournament longer thanthose players not utilizing the systems and methods of the presentdisclosure. It is important to remember that the longer you continueplaying in the tournament, the closer to the chips/money spots in thetournament you get. Again, getting to the final table is your one andonly mission.

Before Your First Rounds of Betting

It may be best that you watch and wait until you connect with the cardsbefore you make your first bet. Being connected with the cards, means:that if you had bet the cards dealt to you, you would have won the hand.It has been postulated that the cards dealt to a particular individualtend to run hot and cold (better known as luck). What this translates tois, you should not initiate betting until you have hot cards, as will bedescribed below. After the large and small blinds, are anteed the firsttime chips/money can be put at risk, by betting, after you have seenyour two hole cards. Do not bet until you have a hand that contains atleast a 10/J, a pair of 8s, a 8/9 suited connectors Ace/8 not suited, orbetter, before you make a bet.

At this early stage in the tournament, you are not playing against anopponent, you are playing against yourself. At this stage, unless youhave two good hole cards, you should always ‘check’ (agree not to bet)or ‘fold’ your hand, and wait to see better cards. Just because you canbet, based on the hole cards in your hand, doesn't necessarily mean youshould bet, based on your hand.

You should take every attempt within the above guidelines to see theflop. Why try and see the flop? Because the more cards you see the moreinformation you get concerning the strength of your hand. With a typicaltournament table of 10 players, you will get to see your hole cards, forfree, 8 hands out of the 10 hands that constitute a round as describedbelow.

The above is based on the premises that there are 10 seats at the table,and there are 2 people putting in chips/money (one large and one smallblind) before each hand is played. The other 8 people do not have to betuntil after they see their hole cards. So 8 of the 10 players play forfree, seeing their hole cards, until they rotate into position as thebig and small blinds.

Each hand starts when the dealer deals each player two cards face down.The dealer changes each hand, as signified by them having the “button”,so in one round each player is the dealer, the big blind, the smallblind, and just a player 7 times. Make the most of these opportunitiesto determine whether you will be committing chips/money to a bet basedon the relative strength of your hand (hole cards). At this level, youshould not bet chips/money that you cannot replace. Since all playersare given the same amount of chips/money at the start, when a playerloses all their chips/money, that player is eliminated from thetournament. So if you lose chips/money early, it limits youreffectiveness to bet later on. Only bet when your hand meets thecriteria described below.

To Make a Bet You Need: (at a Minimum)

In accordance with the systems and methods of the present disclosure, inthe initial stages of the tournament you need at a minimum the followinghole cards: at least a 10/J, a pair of 8s, a 8/9 suited connector, Ace/8not suited, Ace/2 suited, or better, in order to make a bet. Bettingwith these starting cards dramatically increase the chances of winningthe hand. During this first phase of tournament play (before you have 2times your original amount of chips/money), if you have a hand thatmeets this criteria, bet only up to 3 times the big blind (a blind ischips/money bet before any cards are dealt). If the bet goes higher thanthree times the big blind, fold, unless you have really good cards, 3 ofa kind (trips), straight, flush or better.

Anytime you can see the flop (the three common cards dealt after theinitial 2 hole cards), for up to the price of the big blind, you shoulddo so. Your goal is to see the flop for as little money as possible.Getting to see the flop is the best value for your money. The fewer thenumber of people playing the hand, the better your chances of winning.The secret in getting a good hand is, waiting for it. You should betsmall (the minimum bet allowed) at first to conceal your hand, as youwill have a chance to bet big later. (They call this limping in.)Winning hands may range from: Ace high, one pair, two pair, three of akind, a straight, a flush, a full house, four of a kind, a straightflush, to a royal straight flush.

Before you bet, make sure you know what hands can beat you. When youhave a sure winning hand (not a good hand, but a sure winning hand, betup to “all in” (betting your entire stack of chips), after the last card(called the river) has been dealt. An example of a sure winning hand canbe determined by reviewing all the cards on the board to see the besthand that these cards could possibly constitute. Then compare that besthand with the best hand you have, and determine which one is the winninghand. For example, suppose a player has 3 Aces (one on the board and 2in his or her hand). Looking at the board, you determined that, there isno possibility for a straight, a flush or a full house; hence no one canbeat your three aces.

Play Very Conservatively Until You have Doubled Your Initial Stake

During the initial phase of the tournament, you should take as long asyou want before you actively bet. The only chips/money you have to putat risk are the small and big blinds. Remember, every dollar you lose,limits your ability to play, and brings you closer to elimination. Themain way that you could lose chips/money is when you put it at risk whenyou bet. You may wait 20 or 30 hands until you get one that you can bidon, please be patient and wait.

You should play very conservatively until you have doubled your initialstarting chips/money. After you have doubled your initial startingchips/money, your goal is to see as many flops, for as littlechips/money, as possible. Getting to see the flop is the best value foryour chips/money. When possible, you should bet the minimum required tosee the flop. As long as you have more chips/money than double theinitial stake, you may bet up to 5 times the big blind but should foldif the bet is greater than five times the big blind, unless you have asure winning hand.

As the elimination of players at your table increases, the number ofpeople playing the hand decreases and, the more flexibility you have tobet, and the better your chances of winning the pot with a lesser hand.When you decide to bet, you should bet small at first, to conceal yourhand, as you will have a chance later to bet big. Always know what handscan beat you and know your kicker (the higher tie braking card in 2equal hands) before you bet.

Remember, the more players playing a hand, the better your cards need tobe to win. You should never play average hands. Do not be greedy, remaindisciplined and watch the other players be eliminated one by one. In theearly stages of the tournament do not lose chips/money chasing cards, asthis lost chips/money will be very difficult to replace, as explainedbelow. You will need that chips/money later when you have a real hand,as you can only bet what you have. Remember that any two hole cards canbe a winner. It is not always the best hand that wins; sometimes theother person out plays you. You are lead to believe they have a betterhand than you, or bet more money than you are willing to match. You foldand they win. Players have won the pot with a 7 and a duce as holecards, the weakest starting hand in poker. Take your time when you bet.Think it through. Just because you can make the bet, it does not meanyou have to bet. Remember start slowly, as you can always go “all in”later.

Some benefits of playing conservatively include, but are not limited to,getting to watch the other players; getting a sense of how the cards arerunning and mentally playing out each hand trying to anticipate whatwill happen in each hand.

Why You should Stay for the Flop (2 to 7 Worst Poker Hand)

As an example of why you should stay for the flop whenever possible isillustrated in FIGS. 4A-B. Normally, with hole cards, the 2 and 7 ofhearts, it is good strategy simply to fold. However, if you can get tothe flop without risking more than three times the big blind, you mightget lucky, as illustrated below, and have three of a kind after theflop. Typically, three of a kind is difficult to beat. In thisparticular situation, at this point, only three of a kind (threes) wouldwin the hand. Of course, the next two cards, including the river, mightprevent you from winning, but at this point, the probability of youwinning the hand with three of a kind 2s is high.

Remember not to bet any hands until you connect with the cards. (Thismeans that if the cards had been dealt with you still in the hand, youwould have won the hand.) Cards tend to run hot and cold; don't startbetting until you have hot cards. Be patient. There are always morehands coming. In the beginning, ‘check’ whenever possible, the morecards you see, the more information you get. With a table of 10 players,you will get to see eight hands (your two hole cards) for free. Youshould make the most of these opportunities to determine whether youwill be committing money to a bet. At this stage, don't bet money youcan't replace. In other words, don't chase a marginal hand.

If after the flop, you have not made a hand, and are drawing stilltrying to make the hand, then fold. Don't hope the last two cards willsave you. If, however, after the flop you have made a hand and want totry and improve it, Bet.

Every dollar you lose in the beginning limits your ability to make astrong bet and brings you closer to elimination. Remember:

-   -   There is no scarcity of good hands; you only have to wait for        them.    -   The less chips/money you have, the more cautiously you need to        play.    -   Don't ever give up; even when you are the short stack (the        player remaining at the table with the smallest amount of chips        or dollars), you can always double and triple up. Doubling up        occurs when a player goes “all in”, and one or more players        match that bet, and the “all in” player wins the money equal to        their “all in” bet from at least one other person. To pay double        his bet, or “doubles up”.

You have to put your chips/money at risk in order for your opponents towin it. If you have not bet, when other people win, you do not lose anychips/money. When 4 or more players go to the “turn” (the sixth carddealt out of a total of seven), make sure you have a strong hand tocontinue. If you have a strong hand (3 of a kind (trips), straight,flush or better), bet small at first to conceal your hand, you will havea chance later during the betting to bet big. Always know what hands canbeat your hand and know your kicker before you bet. As you win morechips/money, keep playing conservatively until you double your initialstarting chips/money. After you triple your chips/money, playaggressively and follow the guidelines in the Understanding TexasHold'em deck of cards, as illustrated below.

What to do, when You're not Getting the Cards

What should you do when you're not getting the cards? You should makegood use of this time. Relax and watch the flow of the cards, remember 8out of 10 hands are free. Watch the other player's body language for‘tells’ (clues as to how strong or weak their hands are). Do not becomefrustrated and chase marginal hands but remain patient and disciplinedand follow the strategic guidelines articulated in this disclosure. Stayhydrated, stand-up, walk around, and go to the bathroom as required.

Betting

After you have seen the flop, ask your self the following question: am Istill trying to make my hand? If the answer is yes, fold. If you have agood hand. (A pair of 10's or better) Ask, am I trying to improve it? Ifthe answer is yes, stay. If 4 or more players go to the ‘turn’ (thesixth card dealt out of a total of seven), make sure you have a verystrong hand, (3 of a kind, straight, flush or better), or fold(surrender your cards back to the dealer). Let the other players forceeach other out of the game. When you have a very strong hand, it isimportant to know whether to: (1), bet small to conceal your hand, youwill have a chance later to bet big, or (2), bet large to limit theother players options to see more cards. Make good use of position(where you are in the betting cycle). Being on the “button”, being thedealer is a great place to be, everyone else has to bet before you andyou get a good idea as to the strength of his or her hand. If no onebets and it comes to you, sometimes a token bet will get the otherplayers, who previously passed and did not bet, to fold, when you bet.

Always know what hands can beat you and know your kicker (the higher tiebraking card in 2 equal hands) before you bet. As you win morechips/money, keep playing conservatively until you have doubled yourinitial starting chips/money. After you have doubled your initialstarting chips/money, you may play more relaxed and follow the rules inthe Understanding Texas Hold'em deck of cards more loosely. At thispoint, you have the flexibility to change up your style from aggressiveto conservative and vice versa, so that your opponents will not be ableto predict how you play any given hand.

There are only a small number of hands that determine the outcome of thegame. Wait for a good hand and play it wisely. Don't gamble by chasingcards. Bet and play smart. Why should you play this way? Because itimproves your chances to win!

The Mental Game

In general, playing not to lose just to delays the inevitable, you justget eliminated slower, but you will be eliminated. In Texas Hold'em,there are three things you need to be successful Skill, Cards and Luck!It is important that you learn to play the person, calculate the hand,and take advantage of position. Try to see as many flops as possible forthe price of the big blind. When you have a good hand, do not give thema free draw, bet something each round. Specifically, when you have agood hand, medium to high pair (10 and up), three of a kind or better,bet enough chips/money (normally 2 to 3 time the big blind), that theother players fold and you win the pot. If, however, you have a strongto very strong hand: 3 of a kind (trips), straight, flush or better youmay want to check (not bet in order to see how they play their hands).By not aggressively betting but incrementally adding your strong hand,you keep the pot size growing since more people are betting. If you playconservatively all the time, other players may avoid playing againstyou. When you do choose to play a hand, they know you have a relativelygood hand. Your style of play says to them that you only bet good hands.This approach provides information and helps to establish a style ofplay. To counteract this, as you make chips/money, open up your game toa more aggressive approach. Once you have double or triple your initialchips/money amount, change how you play, adopt another style for awhile, and then change back. It is advisable that you do not reflectunduly on misplayed or missed hands. You should learn from your mistakesand move on.

As a short stack, you want to choose when to play/go all-in, rather thanhaving to play until the blinds take all your chips/money. Specifically,as the blinds and antes whittle away your chip count, when you haveenough chips/money for 2 rounds (10 people per round) start looking fora very good hand to bet “all in” with your chips/money. You want tochoose the time to go “all in”, rather then wait until you run out ofchips/money and you are forced to go “all in” by the circumstancesdictated by the amount of chips/money you may have. When you go “allin,” the other players may see your bet as a desperate move rather thana calculated choice to commit on the 2 cards that you were dealt. Whilethe short stack can be viewed as a disadvantage, it does have certainadvantages including that you can go “all in” with a good hand and nothave every other player expect it.

Remember, an approach that yields good results is to bet on what cardsyou HAVE and not on what cards you might draw. When you have a lot ofchips/money, go for the blinds and antes. As an example, when you have abig stack of chips/money, you may bet so much chips/money that most ofthe other remaining players cannot afford to call your bet. This enablesyou to win the blinds antes, and reduces the number of cards youropponents can see.

Making bets that force you to keep chasing a hand is not productive.This means don't start betting with a marginal hand, and follow it upwith a bet, by chasing cards after the flop trying to make a hand withthe turn and river cards. Some times this occurs when betting yourmarginal hand and another player re-raises you and you see you have lostsome money and try 1) to get lucky with a draw or 2) try to bluff yourway out of a bad situation. It sometimes only takes one misplayed handto end your chances for success.

Observe how other people bet to enter the hand, particularly how muchthey bet and where they are in position. The best position often is thelast player to bet during a round of betting, as the last player to bethas the advantage of seeing how other players value their hands.

10 Big Mistakes to Avoid

The 10 largest mistakes that you should avoid include, but are notlimited to, 1) playing marginal hands; 2) overvaluing your hand andstaying with it; 3) trying to make a hand after the flop (chasingcards); 4) thinking that they are bluffing; 5) over betting your hand;6) over valuing aces; 7) with a good hand, betting too much, too soon;8) betting the hand before you have it; 9) keep betting a losing hand;10) and not folding soon enough. Do not make the mistake of playing tooMany Hands. The reason to play this way is to win.

The Deck

The “Understanding Texas Hold'em” deck contains 52 playing cards, asillustrated in FIGS. 2A-M and 4 How To Cards, as illustrated in FIGS.3A-H. Each playing card has a short Strategic Guideline printed in thecenter of the card addressing one of the following 4 topics:

-   -   (1) Avoidable Mistakes    -   (2) Betting    -   (3) Patterns of Play (Lady Luck and intuition)    -   (4) Maximizing Opportunities

Understanding Texas Hold'em, The System

This system enables a person to greatly improve his or her Texas Hold'emskills. Follow the strategic concepts on these cards and watch yourwinning percentage grow. Focus on the following strategic concepts: whento bet: by limiting the cards that can be used to open, this reduceswasted money and improves your chances of winning that hand. By seeingthe flop, this provides you with five of the seven cards available. Byknowing your weaknesses, (see strategic guidelines) you avoid money/chiplosing situations. Follow the strategic guidelines and reap the rewards.

Using the “Understanding Texas Hold'em” Deck

In order to get the most out of the Texas Hold'em deck, divide the deckinto four suits. Pull out the cards that relate to your mistakes. Forexample, King of clubs, “don't bet until you have it.” The five ofdiamonds, “the longer you think, the less sure you are.” Four of hearts,“ask before going All-In, ‘do I want to risk it ALL on these cards?’”Jack of spades, “folding saves you money, you don't have to win again.”The ace of spades, “there is always another hand” and the ace of hearts,“the best hand does not always win.” You should pick 3 to 6 of thesecards to work with the next time you play. Also take along the five HowTo Cards. Bring the deck with you and on your breaks look over the cardsto refresh your memory. Remember; do not make the mistake of playing toomany hands. The reason to play this way is to WIN!

A description of the systems and methods of the present disclosure willnow be described with reference to FIG. 1. As illustrated, the systemand methods begins at 20 with the dealing of the hole cards. If aplayer's hole cards are equal to or better than a 10/J, a pair ofeights, 8/9 suited, ace/8 unsuited, ace/2 suited, or better, at 22, theplayer can then bid up to three times the big blind to see the flop at24. If not, at 26 the player checks to see the flop. If someone elseshould bet, then the player folds at 28.

If at 26 everyone checks to see the flop, then the player checks to seethe turn at 30. If another player bets, then the player folds at 32. Ifall players checked to see the turn, then the player checks to see theRiver at 34. If any of the players bet, then the player folds at 36.

Returning to 24 where the player can bet up to three times the big blindto see the flop, if the bet goes beyond three times the big blind, at38, and if the hole cards are very good (jacks or better) at 40, thenthe player can bet when warranted up to go “all in” at 42. If at 38, thebet does not go beyond the three times the big blind, then the playerbets that hand according to the cards at the flop and there after at 44.If at 40, the hole cards are not very good, then the player folds at 46.

It is anticipated that the above flow diagram may be incorporated into asoftware program for any device, such as for example, a computer, usedfor training that would enable potential Texas Hold'em players to learnthe systems and methods taught in the present disclosure. It is believedthat there are a plurality of well-known devices that incorporateappropriate electronic components such as, for example, processors,reviewing screens, and related structure are capable of being used toserve as the platform for such training exercises and that theutilization of such would be known to those skilled in the art.

One representative illustration of the Texas Hold'em card deck will nowbe described with reference to FIGS. 2A-M. It should be understood thatstrategic concepts placed on each card could be placed on any of thecards and that the strategic concepts could be modified. However, it isintended that the following description be representative of all thepermutations and combinations that might be available.

As shown in FIG. 2A, strategic concepts include, but are not limited to,“Be Patient There Is Always Another Hand” on the ace of spades; “TheMore Flop You See, the Better” on the ace of diamonds; “Do Not Chaseafter Cards Trying to Make a Hand” on the ace of clubs; “The Best HandDoes Not Always Win” on the ace of hearts.

As shown in FIG. 2B-2D, strategic concepts currently depicted on spadesare illustrated in FIG. 2B and include, but are not limited to, “AlwaysBe Aware of What Hands Can Beat You” On the king of spades; “Do Not overBet Your Hand” on the Queen of spades; “folding saves you money YouDon't Have To Win Again” on the Jack of spades; “Use Your Position inthe Betting To Influence the Action” on the 10 of spades; “Don't BetBecause You're Bored” on the nine of spades; “When You Bet Make ItCount” on the eight of spades; “You Can Only Lose What You Put at Risk”on the seven of spades; “Play the Player As Well As the Hand” on the sixof spades; “Learn Your Tells and Change Your Behavior” on the five ofspades; “Aces Count Only As One Pair. Do Not over React to Them” on thefour of spades; “The More People Playing the Hand, The Harder for You toWin” on the three of spades; and “A Small Number of Hands decides theGame” on the two of spades.

As shown in FIG. 2E-2G, strategic concepts depicted on hearts include,but are not limited to, “Wait until You Connect with the Cards BeforeBetting” on the King of hearts; “Cards Come in Streaks Right The Streak”on the Queen of hearts; “Luck Can Trump Talent” on the Jack of hearts;“Force Players out A Timely Bet” on the 10 of hearts; “Luck Increases AsWe Take Advantage of Opportunities” on the nine of hearts; “WhenRe-Raised Stop and Think Why before You Bet” on the eighth of hearts;“After the Flop, Are You Playing to Make a Hand or to Improve Your Hand,Play Wisely” on the seven of hearts; “Don't Bet Too Much, Too Quickly”on the six of hearts; “You Need Luck to Win Big” on the five of hearts:“Ask, Before Going All-In, Do I Want to Risk It All on These Cards” onthe four of hearts; “Pay to See Their Cards When You Need to Know WhatThey Have” on the three of hearts and “Not Every Day Is Your Day StopWhen It's No Longer Fun” on the two of hearts.

As shown in FIG. 2H-2J strategic concepts depicted on the diamondsinclude, but are not limited to, “When You Bluff the Convincing” on theKing of diamonds: “Review Their Bid, Before You Make Yours” on the Queenof diamonds; “Don't Take Chances, Make Calculated Choices” on the Jackof diamonds; “Big Hand! Bet to Entice Others to Stay” on the 10 ofdiamonds; “Get the Most You Can from Each Pot. Don't Raise to Fast” onthe nine of diamonds; “Don't Keep Looking at Your Hole Cards” on theeighth of diamonds; “Go All-in to Limit Another Player's Choices” on theseven of diamonds: “Learn to Act Conceal Your Emotions” on the six ofdiamonds; “The Longer You Think the LESS Sure You Are” on the five ofdiamonds; “Watch and Learn How Other People Bluff” on the four ofdiamonds; “When a Short Stack Goes ALL-IN, Cover When You Can” on thethree of diamonds; and “Don't Get Caught Between Two Warring Stacks” onthe two of diamonds.

As shown in FIG. 2K-2M, strategic concepts depicted on the clubsinclude, but are not limited to, “Don't Bet It, Until You Have It” onthe King of clubs; “Don't Be Too Slow to Bet or Raise” on the Queen ofclubs; “Every Time Someone Bets-They Provide Insights into Their Hand”on the Jack of clubs: “When You Have a Very Strong Hand Get Them to BedFirst” on the 10 of clubs; “The Longer You Play the More You Will Win”on the nine of clubs; “Learn to Bet, to Conceal And Deceive” on theeight of clubs; “When You Start Losing PLAY TIGHTER Until the CardsChange” on the seven of clubs; “Win the Blinds & Antes. Lots of LittlePots Equal One Big Pot” on the sixth of clubs; “A Losing Hand Teaches aLesson. Learn them” on the five of clubs; “Use Your Chip Stack As aWeapon” on the four of clubs; “Low on Chips? Know How Many Blinds/AntesYou've Left. Bet accordingly” on the three of clubs; and “Don't Let theLast Hand Affect the Next” on the two of clubs.

While the above is merely a representative, illustrative example of oneof a plurality of possible arrangements with respect to the cardarrangement and with respect to the internal arrangement of thestrategic concepts.

Representative Example

The following examples represent the results of actual tournament playin which the inventor of the present disclosure came in first place inthe tournament. The following are representative hands chosen toillustrate various concepts of the systems and methods of the presentdisclosure. Not all of the hands are presented, only thoserepresentative hands useful in illustrating the various concepts of thepresent disclosure. In this particular tournament, there are nine peopleat each table.

First Representative Hand Follows

In one hand, I was dealt the 4h and 6h, in for big blind. Everyonechecked to get to the flop, no additional chips/money at risk. The flopwas 9d 3d 10d. All those remaining in the hand checked. The turn cardwas the 6c. Again, everyone remaining in the hand checked to get to theriver. The river was the Ah. At this point, I folded, as my hand did notmeet the criteria for betting more than the big blind. The strategicconcept illustrated by this particular hand is that you should stay inas long as the cards are checked (free), even though your cards are notvery good, because you never know what is going to come up in the flop,the turn, or the river. (Remember the example above with respect to the7, 2 hole cards, a terrible hand, made all the better by a great flop.)

Second Representative Hand Follows

In another hand, I was dealt the Jh and Jd, a strong hand, but not anover powering hand. I was the fifth person with a chance to bet, thefirst 4 players checked. None of the previous four players had bet whichindicated that they most likely had weak hands, so I bet in order tokeep them from seeing the flop and discourage them from trying to make agood hand (with the other 5 cards). Since I had not bet often at thispoint, when I bet, the other players took notice. My bet was $1,150because betting a good hand quickly makes it relatively more powerful,since this bet was before the flop; there were no queens, kings or aceson the board to create competition for the hand. However, my approach toprevent them from seeing the flop was unsuccessful.

The flop was 10c 2c 2s. At this point, I bet another $500. After the$500 bet, the other players folded Since the other players haverelatively little chips/money invested in the hand, it is easier forthem to fold the hand and call, since, based upon my prior bettingapproach, they believed that 1 had a winning hand. When they did notfold when I bet $1,150, my next bet of $500 was enough to make theremaining players in the hand to think that 1 had made a value betdesigned to get more chips/money from them, thus, they folded. Onestrategic concept in this particular hand was to establish that I had astrong hand early in the betting. Another strategic point was to see theflop and, if the flop significantly strengthens my hand, raise myoriginal bet.

Third Representative Hand Follows

In a later hand, I was dealt the 10h and everyone remaining in the handchecked to get to the flop, no additional chips/money at risk. The flopwas the Js As 6h. Again, all the players remaining in the hand checked.Next, the river was the 4s. At this point, I folded. One strategic pointin this particular hand was that after you see the river, only bet ifyou have a strong hand, in other words, don't chase cards.

Fourth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Qh and 2d. At this point, I folded. Having just the Qd &2d. One strategic concept in this representative hand was that my handdid not meet the criteria for betting more than double the big blind.

Fifth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the As and the 6s. Everyone checked to get to the flop, noadditional chips/money at risk. The flop was the 8c 4d 3d. All thoseremaining in the hand checked. The turn card was the 7c. Again, allthose remaining in the hand checked to get to the river. The river wasthe 3h. At this point, I folded. One strategic concept in thisrepresentative hand was that if you don't have a winning hand after theriver, FOLD. Typically, as in this particular case, you would clearlynot have a winning hand since anyone who had an 8 or a 4, as a hole cardwould beat your pair of 3s.

Sixth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Kh and the Qh, a hand that met the betting criteria.Before the flop, I bet $150. The flop was the Qs 10d 3c. At this point Ibet $350 to get to the turn. The turn card was the 9c. At this point, Ibet $100 to get to the river. At this point, I had a pair of queens. Theriver was the 7h. This did not significantly increase my chances ofwinning the hand. At this point, several players remaining in the handbet $500 to increase, the pot to $2,755. At this point, I folded. Onestrategic concept to learn from this particular hand is that whenre-raised; fold, unless you have a certain winner. In this case, it wasmy judgment that a pair of queens was not a certain winner and then Iwould be needlessly putting chips/money at risk.

Seventh Representative Hand Follows

1 was dealt the 2c and the 2h. At this point, there were only 2 otherplayers, the big and small blinds. The big blind checked, the smallblind limped in and 1 bet my pair of 2's. I called a bet of $150 to getto the flop. They showed weakness and my 2's and the 7's made for thewinning hand. The flop was the Kd 7s 7c. All those remaining in the handchecked to get to the turn. The turn was the 6h. Again, all thoseremaining in the hand checked to get to the river. The river was the Jd.Again, all those remaining in the hand failed to raise by checking. Mypair of 2s combined with a pair of 7s was good enough to win $400. Onestrategic concept to learn from this particular hand is that sometimesyou get lucky just by staying in for relatively a small price.

Eighth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Kh and the 5s. All those remaining in the hand checkedto get to the flop. The flop was the Ks Ad 7s. Again, all thoseremaining in the hand checked to get to the turn. The turn was the Qh.Once again, all those remaining in the hand checked to get to the river.The river was the 2h. At that point, I had a pair of Kings, a stronghand but not a clearly winning hand. At this point, one of the otherremaining participants showed 2 aces and wins the $750 pot. This left mewith $2,680. One strategic concept to learn from this particular hand isthat kings lose to aces and that sometimes you use your judgment tooverride some guidelines and that sometimes you win and sometimes youlose. This is where luck comes in.

Ninth, 10^(th), 11^(th), and 12^(th) Representative Hands Follows

In the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth representative hands, I wasdealt the 2s and the 5c, the 10d and the 5c, the 8h and the 5h, and the7h and the 6d. In each of these hands, I folded. One strategic conceptto learn from these hands include, but is not limited to, that cardscome in streaks and be patient do not chase the cards.

Thirteenth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt to the Jc and the 10c everyone checked to get to the flop.The flop was the As 8s 3s. At this point, in my judgment, I had a lowprobability of obtaining a winning hand therefore I folded. Strategicconcepts that can be learned from this particular hand include, but arenot limited to, always be aware of what hands can beat you, do not overbet your hand, folding saves you chips/money you don't have to winagain, folding is always an option and you can only lose what you put atrisk.

Fourteenth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Kh and the 8c. All players that remained in the handchecked to see the flop. The flop was the 10c 6h 4h. Again, all playersthat remained in the hand checked to see the turn. The turn was the Kc.I now have two Kings, a decent hand. Again, all players are remained inthe hand checked to see the river. The river was the Qd. In thisparticular hand, I lost to two pairs on the river card. One strategicconcept to learn from this particular hand is that after the hand hasbeen lost, move on don't think about the hand.

Fifteenth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Kh and the 8h. All players that remained in the handchecked to see the flop. The flop was the 5h 2d 2c. At this point, Ifolded rather than risk losing chips/money. This pot was worth $1,205.Strategic concepts to learn from this particular hand include, but arenot limited to, that you should play conservatively when the pot is thislow and that you must be prepared for a big hand.

Sixteenth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Js and the Jc. I bet $1,000 before the flop, as this isa hand that meets my criteria for betting. The flop was the Ac 8h 5h.With a $2,205 pot, all those remaining in the hand folded. At thispoint, I had a cushion, as I had between $2,000 and $3,000 dollars and,thus, I did not have to so strictly follow the guidelines, but I stillplayed the hand conservatively. Strategic concept to learn from thisparticular hand include, but are not limited to, do not be afraid to beta good hand, strongly and early. Follow the strong first bet with astrong second bet as reinforcement. Carefully watch the other playerswith respect to how they bet and how much they commit to the pot.

Seventeenth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Qc and the 4d. All players that remained in the handchecked to see the flop. The flop was the As 7s 4h. At this point Ifolded. Strategic concepts that can be learned from this particular handinclude, but are not limited to, having been dealt 2 marginal cards andbeing next to last in chips, when the flop provided no additionalstrength, no winning hand was reasonably foreseeable, so folding was theprudent choice, as folding is always an option.

Eighteenth and Nineteenth Representative Hands Follows

I was dealt the 9c and the 3s. At this point in the tournament, sincethis hand did not meet the criteria for betting, I folded.

Next I was dealt the Kd and the 7s. Again, at this point in thetournament, this hand did not meet the criteria for betting I folded.The eventual pot was $1,705. Strategic concepts that were demonstratedby these two hands include, but are not limited to, remain patient anddon't chase cards.

Twentieth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Ac and the 5d. All players that remained in the handchecked to see the flop. The flop was the Ad Ah 8h. At this point I bet$1,230. All the players that remained in the hand checked to see theturn. The turn was the Qs. Again, all the players that remained in thehand checked to see the river. The river was the 7s. I won the $2,925pot with three aces. Many times people bet this type of hand by ignoringthe pair on the board and checking, and sometimes they try and steal thepot by betting to convince the other player that they have the thirdcard. Strategic concepts that were demonstrated by this hand include,but are not limited to, when you have a real strong hand; play slow, andthen bet it big.

Twenty-First Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the 5d and the 5h. All the players remaining in the handchecked to see the flop. The flop was the 9h 8h 2h. At this point, I bet$1,375. At this point all the other players remaining in the hand foldedand I win the pot of $4,300. Before this hand I had only $3,325 and wasthe short stack, meaning that I had the least amount of chips/money ofthose remaining at the table. Strategic concepts that were demonstratedby this hand include, but are not limited to, with the increase in yourchips/money, you now have some breathing room to enable you to open upyour game and use your chip stack to force the remaining players at thetable to make difficult decisions from a relative position of weakness.

Twenty-Second Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the 6h and the 3h. I bet $100 and one player called for$100. The flop was the Kh Ks 5s. We both cheeked to see the turn. Theturn was the 10h. We both checked to see the river. The river was the3s. In a hand like this, where there are only 2 players, and the otherplayer keeps checking, it leads one to believe that the pair is good. Intwo-handed games all pairs are powerful. I win the $4,425 pot with apair of kings and a pair of threes. Strategic concepts that weredemonstrated by this hand include, but are not limited to, when theother party keeps checking they most likely have a weak hand. If theother party had bet at any time, I would have folded and they would havewon the hand. In this particular hand, the other party missed thestrategic concept of ‘making them pay to see a card.’

Twenty-Third Representative Hand Follows

With three players left on the table, I was dealt the 6c and the 6h. Thefirst player has $4,760, I have $4,325, and the third player has $4,065.They fold and I have $4,675.

Twenty-Fourth Representative Hand Follows

1 was dealt the dealt the Ac and the 7d. All remaining players checkedto see the flop. The flop was the As Qh, Jh. I checked to conceal mypair of Aces. The other two players also checked to see the turn. Theturn was the 3c. I bet $400 and they fold and I have $4,875. Strategicconcepts that were demonstrated by this hand include, but are notlimited to, when down to players, bet and play more aggressively.

Twenty-Fifth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt 7d and the 3s, not exactly a powerful hand. I am the bigblind, so I checked to see the flop. The flop was the Ah Qc, 6s. At thispoint, I folded.

Twenty-Sixth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Ah and the 8s. A good hand in 3 handed Hold'em. At thispoint, I bet $300. At this point, I bet around 20% of their chips/money.They folded ($5,000). Strategic concepts that were demonstrated by thishand include, but are not limited to, slow and steady movement, don't gofor the possible big hand, wait for the sure one and make them pay tosee a card.

Twenty-Seventh Representative Hand Follows

1 was dealt the 8c and the 3d. The Flop was the Ad Kc 3c. At this point,I fold. Strategic concepts that were demonstrated by this hand include,but are not limited to, fold the low pair and wait for a better hand. Inother words, don't chase cards.

Twenty-Eight Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Ks and the Js. The flop was the Kd Qc 3s. At this point,I am on a roll. I decide to bet the Kings. In an attempt to make thempay $600 (20% of their chips/money) to see another card, I bet $600 andthey fold. I win ($5,225). Strategic concepts that were demonstrated bythis hand include, but are not limited to, ‘make them pay to see anothercard.’

Twenty-Ninth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the 9D and the 9c. The flop was the Qs 8s 3h. The turn wasthe 10h and the River was the 2d. The pot goes to $3,755. They arebetting on their pair of 5's. I am betting on my pair of 9's. The Turnand River do not help. I win ($7,165) Strategic concepts that weredemonstrated by this hand include, but are not limited to, duringHeads-up play all pairs, and AK, KQ is a very strong starting hand.

Thirtieth Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Ks and the 7d. They fold. Strategic concepts that weredemonstrated by this hand include, but are not limited to, the need towait for a good hand.

Thirty First Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Jd and the 3s. The flop was the Kc 10s 5s. I fold.Strategic concepts that were demonstrated by this hand include, but arenot limited to, remember to take your time, they have to catch you,don't give them easy chips/money. You can only lose what you put atrisk.

Thirty Second Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Jc and the 6c. The flop was the Jd Js 2h. At this pointI have three jacks, so I decide to bet slowly and then spring the trap.The turn was the Kh. At this point, they have $6,210. The River is the3d. At this point the pot increases to ($7,150). I let them bet firstand I win ($10,840). After this hand, they have $2.235 left. Strategicconcepts that were demonstrated by this hand include but are not limitedto, let them bet first!

Thirty Third Representative Hand Follows

I was dealt the Ah and the 7s. The flop is the Qd 7d 6c. At this point,they had a pair of 7s with a Queen kicker and I had a pair of 7s with anace kicker. The turn is the 3s. The River is the Ac. At this point, theygo “all in” with a pair of 7s. I call with aces and 7s. I win with acesand 7s. Game over! Strategic concepts that were demonstrated by thishand include, but are not limited to, know your kicker, in heads up playall pairs are powerful and when the short stack has to go all-in, callthem.

The description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is givenabove for the understanding of the present disclosure. It will beunderstood that the disclosure is not limited to the particularembodiments described herein, but is capable of various modifications,rearrangements and substitutions as will now become apparent to thoseskilled in the art without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Therefore, it is intended that the following claims cover all suchmodifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope ofthe invention.

1. A method for playing Texas Hold'em comprising: dealing the hole cardsto each player; and if a players hole cards are equal to or better thana 10/J, a pair of 8s, a 8/9 suited connector, Ace/2 suited, Ace/8 notsuited, or better, the player can bid up to three times the big blind inorder to see the flop.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: if aplayers hole cards does not meet the criteria of claim 1, then theplayer checks to see the flop.
 3. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: If another player should bet, then the player having holecards that do not meet the criteria of claim 1 folds.
 4. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: if all players check to see the flop, thenthe player having hole cards that do not meet the criteria of claim 1checks to see the turn.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: ifanother player bets, then the player having the hole cards that do notmeet the criteria of claim 1 fold.
 6. The method of claim 4 furthercomprising: if all players check to see the turn, then the player withcards that do not meet the criteria of claim 1 checks to see the River.7. The method of claim 6 further comprising: if any of the players makea bet, then the players having cards that do not meet the criteria ofclaim 1 fold.
 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising: if the playercan bet up to three times the big blind to see the flop and if the betgoes beyond three times the big blind and if the players hole cards arevery good, then the player meeting the criteria of claim 1 can bet whenwarranted up to go “all in”.
 9. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: if the betting does not go beyond the three times the bigblind, then the player bets that hand according to the cards at the flopand there after.
 10. The method of claim 8 further comprising: If thehole cards are not very good, then the player folds.
 11. A method forplaying Texas Hold'em comprising: dealing the hole cards to each player;if a players hole cards are equal to or better than a pair of eights,8/9 suited or an ace/8 or better, the player can bid up to three timesthe big blind in order to see the flop; if a players hole cards does notmeet the criteria above, then the player checks to see the flop; ifanother player should bet, then the player having hole cards that do notmeet the criteria above folds; if all players check to see the flop,then the player having hole cards that do not meet the above criteriachecks to see the turn; if another player bets, then the player havingthe hole cards that do not meet the above criteria folds; if all playerscheck to see the turn, then the player with cards that do not meet theabove criteria check to see the River; if any of the players make a bet,then the player having cards that do not meet the above criteria folds;if the player can bet up to three times the big blind to see the flopand if the bet goes beyond three times the big blind and if the playershole cards are very good, then the player meeting the above criteria canbet when warranted up to go “all in”; if the betting does not go beyondthe three times the big blind, then the player bets that hand accordingto the cards at the flop and there after; and if the hole cards are notvery good, then the player folds.